NZDF to deliver aid for Indonesia’s tsunami survivors
The New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) is delivering more than eight tonnes of aid supplies for survivors of the earthquake and tsunami that hit the Indonesian city of Palu last weekend.
Major General Tim Gall, the Commander Joint Forces New Zealand, said the supplies would be flown today by a Royal New Zealand Air Force C-130 Hercules aircraft to the port city of Balikpapan in Indonesia’s East Kalimantan province, which is about 380 kilometres to the west of Palu.
The aid supplies, from the emergency stores of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT), include generators, 10-litre collapsible water containers and tarpaulins.
“These supplies seek to meet the basic needs for power, clean water and shelter of the people displaced by the twin disasters,” Major General Gall said.
“After delivering the aid, our team will join an international effort to help Indonesian authorities in transporting emergency supplies and personnel to Palu and other affected areas.”
A 7.5-magnitude quake struck the Indonesian island of Sulawesi on 28 September, sparking a tsunami that devastated the regional capital Palu and surrounding areas. Palu, which is home to about 300,000 people, was flattened by the tsunami, with thousands of homes, hotels and shopping malls reduced to rubble.
